Errare Humanum Est
by Rsuth
Summary: New problems arise for Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they face dangers that can't be solved with magic. Set during Deathly Hallows and the horcrux hunt, around the time when Ron leaves. Trio friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Errare Humanum Est **

_DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fan fiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world._

CHAPTER ONE

Hermione sighed as she set down the large tome on the ground in front of her, using her free hands to pull the blankets up higher around her cold body, and stifled a cough at the movement. She tipped her head towards the sky, noticing it was completely dark for the first time since she began her watch in the late afternoon. They were camped in a forest somewhere in the south of England, using the unpopulated and heavily wooded area to hide from the world this week. The stars above her were bright and beautiful, a contrast to the hopeless feelings that were slowly beginning to creep into her awareness in the past weeks.

They had been on the run for a few months now, trying to stay hidden while they searched for Horcruxes. It was starting to take a toll on them all, the constant cold, lack of food, and lack of progress. Ron in particular seemed the most effected by their situation and radiated tension most of the waking day, making Harry and Hermione act very carefully around him to not set him off. Hermione understood, though, as she knew Ron was very worried about his family and wasn't used to being without them. She and Harry were. And, Ron had never been very skilled at controlling his emotions since she had met him on the Hogwarts Express seven years ago, so they dealt with him as they always had. It's what a family does.

Hermione wouldn't admit this to the boys, but she was worried about the lack of information she had found on the Horcruxes. The boys were depending on her, and she had let them down so far. Book after book she skimmed looking for clues, but she had not found much at all. This last book had been a particular disappointment.

She shivered as a cool breeze ran down the back of her neck, seeming to make her whole body chilled. She moved her jar with a blue flame closer to her body, willing it to help her warm up. She'd been feeling cold and achy all week, but was keeping it to herself so she didn't concern the boys. There was nothing that any of them could do about it, so what was the point of worrying them about what was probably a small cold. She didn't have any healing potions left for it, having used them on Ron a few weeks before when he'd developed a small cough, and there was no magical cure by spell. They couldn't be too careful about getting sick. Oh well. If there was something Hermione was good at, it was compartmentalizing and putting others' needs before her own. It was how she was dealing with a seemingly constant hunger, and the needs of her friends, on top of the knowledge that there were many people and creatures hunting for them. Compartmentalization.

Hermione sat staring at the bright stars for a while longer, her eyes too tired to read another page, when she heard Ron's voice rising from inside the tent. She listened to what was going on, only planning to interfere if necessary. She sighed as she realized it was only Ron getting upset about his hunger again, trying to argue with Harry about who was the better hunter and gather. She slowly stood up and reached a hand out to the tent to steady herself and took a deep breath, covering her mouth when she felt a cough starting in her chest. She would go in a try calm Ron down before this escalated.

Hermione walked in on Ron and Harry, standing facing each other in the middle of their common area, Ron ranting with a red face. "You haven't even caught anything lately, Harry. We're starving here! The pants that Hermione packed that were too tight? Now they're too loose! I can't stand this! I want to go home! We're not getting anywhere, even Hermione agrees that she thought we would have made more progress by now!" Hermione sucked in a breath as she heard Ron's words. She had said something along those lines, but had meant she was disappointed in herself for not finding more information yet. She looked helplessly at Harry, who was staring confused at her, trying to show him wordlessly that Ron was twisting her words. Harry seemed to understand, and gave her a short nod before turning back to Ron.

"Ron…we're all trying our best. Harry's doing his best. You need to calm down, take the horcrux off, and come sit with me for a while…Please…" Hermione pleaded with Ron, knowing she would be able to help him if he just listened to her.

"WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS DEFENDING HARRY! Better yet, why don't I just _leave_, you both don't want me around anyways, I'm just getting in the way…" Ron hissed this at Hermione, who was shaking her head at him, trying to interject.

Ron took the horcrux from around his neck and threw it to the ground at Hermione's feet, grabbing his small rucksack and running out the door of the tent. Hermione and Harry stared in confusion at the horcrux on the ground before Hermione sprang into action, running out after Ron.

Harry was left standing where his friends had left him, feeling very guilty as he realized this was all his fault. He winced as he heard Hermione's desperate voice ringing out through the forest,

"RON! PLEASE COME BACK!... DON'T LEAVE US!...RON! RO-" Her voice was cut off suddenly, and Harry lifted his head towards the door, wondering if he should be worried, or whether she had just caught up to him. He decided to just sit on the floor and wait a few minutes for Hermione to come back. If anyone had a chance at bringing Ron back to the tent, it would be her; Harry would just make the problem worse.

Hermione was breathing hard as she ran through the dark forest, looking desperately around her to find him. She stumbled a bit as she coughed hard at the exertion, but continued running in the direction Ron had gone.

"RON! PLEASE COME BACK!" She called out, hoping to see a flash of his red hair in the surrounding darkness. She held her lit wand in front of her, trying to illuminate the forest floor with its weak glow.

"DON'T LEAVE US…RON!" She kept running forward, hopping over rotting logs and skidding through mud, praying for Ron to suddenly step out of the darkness.

"RO-" She called out, interrupted when she felt herself falling towards the ground, having felt her shoe snagged the moment before. She braced herself for impact on the semi-frozen ground, but was suddenly tumbling down a hill, unable to grab something to halt her rapid descent. Hermione felt the side of her head connect with something hard and was rendered dazed, helpless to stop her body from falling any farther. From far away, Hermione registered a large splash and a cold sensation around her body that seemed to be pulling at her. She moaned as she struggled to open her eyes and found herself lying in a stream on her back, the frigid water swirling around her ears. Hermione lifted her arm slowly and placed it on the bank behind her, crying out as the movement caused a sharp pain in her ribs and chest. She felt something hard on the bank and grasped hold, ignoring the pain in her body as she moved to roll her body out of the water. After a few long moments, Hermione was finally able to lift her leg out of the water and rolled quickly onto her stomache on the ground, gasping as her body burned and her dizzy head throbbed. She laid quietly for a while, waiting for the pain to ease off, and began to feel how cold she was. She needed to send a signal to Harry and Ron, let them know where she is. She reached her numb arm out to grasp the ground around her, panicking, as she couldn't find her wand anywhere. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she realized how much trouble she was in. She was lying at the bottom of a hill in an unfamiliar forest, without her want to get help or protect herself, and was too hurt and cold to move far. She laid her head back on the forest floor and tried to think of a plan, not realizing that she was drifting into unconsciousness.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Ron didn't catch himself in time, and went sprawling across the ground. He had just apparated from the forest where he had been hiding with Harry and Hermione, and ended up in a northern town he had visited once with his family. He slowly pulled himself to a sitting position and felt guilt growing in the pit of his stomache. Had he really just left his best friends like that? He groaned and put his forehead into his hands, knowing that he had really messed up this time. Why did he let his anger always get the best of him?

Ron sat on the ground for a few moments, trying to figure out what he should do. He had to get back to Harry and Hermione, this was certain, and apologize until he was blue in the face. He suddenly remembered that he had heard Hermione calling after him but had apparated before he gave her a chance to catch up. Now he felt even worse; all she was ever trying to do was help him, and he never made it easy for her.

He decided to try apparating back to them by visualizing their campsite, not entirely sure where in England they had landed last time, and spun on the spot. Nothing. He tried it again, and again went nowhere. Ron started to panic now, realizing that the wards Hermione put up were probably preventing him from finding them. He picked up his rucksack and headed down a nearby road into the town, determined to find a way back to his friends.

Half an hour later Ron was sitting alone in the corner of a wizard's pub, his right hand flicking his deluminator open and closed under the table out of comfort, watching the pub door for dangerous enemies. He would start searching for his friends in the morning, nothing would be able to keep him away.

Harry was still sitting on the floor 15 minutes later, waiting for Hermione to (hopefully) return with Ron. He was starting to get slightly worried, not having heard any noises from the dark forest aside from the wind and night animals in a while.

He slowly got up onto his feet and, clutching his wand, walked to stand outside the tent in the hopes to hear something from his friends. He shivered in the cold, thinking how the night air was beginning to smell like winter, and popped back inside the tent quickly to grab his jacket and one of Hermione's blue flames in a glass bottle. He continued his watch on the outside of the tent, pacing slightly to turn his head in different directions. Nothing.

After standing outside for another 15 minutes, Harry decided that he could no longer keep waiting around, and started walking in the direction he had heard Hermione go, keeping the blue flame in front of him to light the path. Harry could see her occasional small footstep in the quickly freezing ground and started walking faster, giving the occasional call of his friends' names. He didn't hear anything back.

Hermione groaned slightly as she started to feel pain in her dream. She had been chasing after something in her dream, but started to slow down as her dream-self began to feel an ache in her ribs and head. Suddenly she realized that she was half-asleep and in a dream, and opened her eyes to the dark forest floor, where she lay on her side. She tried moving her arms to clutch around her aching sides and was confused when her arms refused to respond more than flopping a bit closer. Realizing she could see her breath in the air, and that she was soaking wet, she began to try to wiggle her cold limbs into wakefulness, knowing she needed to get back to the camp. Her jerky movements suddenly caused a long explosive cough in her chest, which caused her eyes to water as the cough sent knives through her chest and back. After she was able to slightly catch her breath she decided to try a different tactic.

"Harry! Ron!" She tried to yell with her weak and groggy voice, having to stop and cough with the exertion of her actions. They would have to realize she is missing eventually, and maybe they would be able to hear her. "HARRY!

Harry stopped in mid-stride, thinking he heard a voice on the wind. He had been walking for quite a while now, still following the occasional footprint. He closed his eyes and listened hard for a minute, trying to quell his breathing in hopes of hearing his friends.

"Harry…" he heard in the distance. Definitely Hermione's voice, he thought excitedly.

"HERMIONE!" He bellowed back, hoping she would be able to hear him and call again. Why hadn't she signalled him with her wand? he wondered, and started jogging quickly towards her occasional quiet calls. Something didn't seem right.

Harry kept jogging on, the knowledge that Hermione had stopped calling him putting fear in his heart. The blue flame he held out in front of him suddenly stopped revealing footprints and he stopped in confusion, turning in a circle to look at the dark forest around him. "Hermione?" he called, knowing she couldn't be far. He didn't hear an answer, so crouched down low to shine the flame on the ground. He didn't see anything at first, but as he turned noticed a mark on the ground, near an exposed tree root. He looked further on and saw the indent of a body in the mud about five feet from him, near the edge of a hill that he had failed to notice until he looked closer with his flame. He crouched at the top of the hill, confused, and looked around him. He saw nothing but dark air and the outlines of trees and brush. Harry decided to get a better look around, as this was the last place he saw any sign of his friend's footsteps, and lit his wand with a super-illuminating spell that Hermione had recently taught him.

"Magnus Lumos!"

Harry squinted in the blinding light his wand had created. This was the reason he had decided to stick with the blue flame, the light of his wand could have warned every death eater in the 100-mile radius where they were hiding! He was desperate now though, his friends could be in trouble, enemies be damned. When the spots in his eyes started to fade away, Harry could see that there were definitely signs of a body sliding down the hill, and started to carefully inch his way down the steep incline, bracing his feet in front of him as he slowly slid down. Something suddenly jabbed him in the back of the leg and he stopped to pull away what he thought was a stick, until he looked closer. It was Hermione's wand, but…broken. Harry quickly shoved her wand in his pocket and picked up his pace, calling her name as he went. Suddenly he heard his name spoken, seemingly not too much further below him.

"I'm coming, it's me Harry, just hold on!"

Harry finally reached the bottom of the hill and stayed crouched as he shone his light around him. He saw nothing until he turned to his right, then suddenly saw the flash of pink of Hermione's sweater. He rushed over to her, sliding slightly on the wet ground, hands shaking as he knelt down beside her and reached out to roll her onto her back.

He gasped as he shone the light of his wand on his best friend. Hermione was slowly blinking into the bright light, with smears of blood and dirt covering her cheek, forehead, and neck. Her clothes were soaking wet and muddy, and her body was shivering uncontrollably under his hands. The skin on her face, what he could see of it, was white and mottled purple. Harry dropped his wand beside him and placed his hands carefully on either side of her face and drew closer to her, shocked at the coolness of her skin.

At the warm contact of his hands, Hermione focused her eyes on Harry, attempting a small smile.

"Harry…" she desperately choked through chattering teeth, "I…I can't move…too cold…my ribs…" she trailed off, as her eyes started closing. Harry knew he had to start warming her up before he could even move her. He desperately looked around him for a leaf or anything, and after finding one quickly transfigured it into a warm blanket. He placed it over his friend, rubbing her arms and legs through the material, worrying about getting his friend back to their camp. He suddenly remembered she had muttered something about her ribs and gently moved the blanket aside so he could pull her jumper up. Harry was shocked not only by her sunken stomache and prominent ribs, but her whole left side was covered in a dark bruise. Harry reached beside him to grab his lit wand, holding it to the centre of the bruise.

"Episkey!" Harry was satisfied to hear the crack of bones moving into place, but winced as Hermione groaned despite being unconscious. He moved the blanket back over her and pulled her to limply sit leaning against him to protect her from the cold ground, placing her head so it rested on his chest. He gave himself a moment to think about what he should de next; he needed to get his friend back to their camp so she could warm up and he could check her over. He could see she had a head wound, but it didn't appear to be bleeding more than a trickle now. He didn't even know what to do about that kind of wound, either the muggle or magic way. They always relied on Hermione to know these things…Harry really began to panic and worry, knowing he and Ron were too dependent on Hermione being around to help them, and now he didn't know what to do for her…

And on another note, where was Ron? Why wasn't he with Hermione?


	3. Chapter 3

_DISCLAIMER: As the author of this fan fiction story I do not, in any way, profit from the story or claim any rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe. All creative rights to the 'Harry Potter' universe belong to J.K. Rowling. Thank you for letting me play in this amazing world._

CHAPTER THREE

Harry was really beginning to tire out, but wasn't going to stop. He had managed to levitate Hermione back up the hill, almost not making it himself up the slippery slope. He had bundled the blanket around her and transfigured a stick into a rope so he could tie the blanket tight around her. He had also removed her outermost clothing, trying to eliminate the amount of wet fabric that was touching her skin, and shrunk it to fit in his pocket with her wand. Although he could have continued to levitate her the whole way to the camp, he decided to carry her most of the way, trying to keep her warm on the long walk back. Hermione had remained limp but conscious since he began to carry her, but was quiet and white-faced which terrified Harry to no end. The only signs of wakefulness she showed were the trembling of her cold body against his, the slow blinking of her glassy eyes, and a quietly rattling wheeze while she breathed. Had she been having trouble breathing before? Harry hadn't even paid enough attention lately to know, he had been so wrapped up in his thoughts. Apparently neither he nor Ron had noticed how thin she had become, or at least he didn't think Ron had noticed. Harry had been shocked when he had no trouble lifting her into his arms, even though he wasn't in the best shape himself due to their meagre diet. Hermione had always been thin, he thought, so their lack of food must really be taking its toll on her more so than himself and Ron, who had bulked up somewhat in the past seven years with the endless food of Hogwarts, and Quidditch. Harry's guilt began to grow as he realized they had been basically ignoring their best friend, relying on her to be independent and self-sufficient as always. And Hermione being herself, had probably not said anything so as to not worry anyone.

Harry knew they must be getting close to their camp, recognizing some of the foliage around him and seeing more footsteps, so hurried a little faster after he hitched Hermione up higher into his arms. Maybe Ron would be at the tent waiting for them, Harry desperately hoped. Finally he saw the light of their tent. Luckily Hermione had set up the wards so they would be able to see through them and get through without magic, so Harry carefully ran through and into the warmer tent.

It was empty.

Nothing had been moved since Harry had left…an hour ago? he wondered. It seemed so long ago now. Ron's rucksack was still absent from beside his bed, dishes left on the table from earlier, blue flames still burning in their jars. He stood for a moment, having a hard time registering that Ron wasn't back, and he was alone with an injured Hermione.

Hermione.

Harry carefully placed his best friend on Ron's bed, which was closest, and brought the flames closer to her as Hermione tracked him with her eyes. Harry picked her head up to gently place it on the pillow and set to work untying the ropes. Finally they fell away, and Harry picked Hermione up to cradle against him, as he pulled the bed covers down to place her underneath. She surprisingly let him administer to her this way without a complaint or retort about being treated like a child. Before he placed her into the bed, Harry placed his hands on the bottom hem of Hermione's t-shirt, wanting to take the remainder of her wet clothes off. Hermione nodded at him and touched his hand gently, seemingly aware enough of her surroundings to notice her best friend was about to undress her. She tried to help him by moving her arms above her head, sucking in a sharp breath when the shirt touched the wound on her head. Harry hurriedly finished by helping her out of her jeans, noting that this was a necessary discomfort on both their parts, then helped her to lie in the bed. After tucking her in under Ron's rumpled sheets, Harry ran around the tent madly trying to find things he needed. An extra t-shirt (one of Ron's that was left behind), a towel and a bucket of warm water, and all the blankets they had.

Finally he had everything he needed and rushed back to his friend with his arms full. Harry quickly piled the rest of the blankets over Hermione and sat down beside her. She had quickly fallen asleep, and was breathing shallowly and painfully through pale lips. Before trying to rouse her Harry decided to clean off the gash on her head so as to not cause her more pain. Harry lifted her head and placed it in his palm. He carefully doused a towel in the warm water and gently dabbed at the wound, trying to clean it off and determine how bad it is. Underneath a lot of blood and dirt, he finally found the raw gash behind her ear, about 3 inches long and gaping slightly at the edges. Harry's stomache did a roll as he stared at it, and then realized it needed to be closed and he wasn't sure how to do that. He needed Hermione.

After impatiently letting her sleep for a while, noting that her shivering was lessening, Harry finally decided to attempt waking Hermione up out of necessity. He tried calling her name, and saw her eyelids flutter a bit. He cupped the side of her pale but flushed face with his hand and tried calling her a few more times. Finally, her eyes opened a bit and he saw her give him a confused blank look.

"Hey…welcome back, you fell asleep on me for a bit…" He smiled at her, stroking his thumb down her cheek.

Hermione opened her mouth a couple of times, and finally managed to croak out, "Ron?" Harry looked away, not wanting to tell her the truth. Hermione prompted him again, "Where's Ron?"

Of course, Harry thought, she would be worried more about one of us than herself. He sighed as he spoke. "I…I'm not sure where Ron is…he never came back…I didn't see any footprints, it's like he disappeared…"

Hermione sat silently for a moment, closing her eyes against her pale skin. Just as Harry was about to check if she was sleeping and wake her up again, she spoke so quietly he had to lean in to hear her.

"Are you a wizard or not, Harry? I think I may have heard him apparate." Harry couldn't help but smile for a moment; she was always reminding him about the possibilities of magic that he seemed to regularly forget. His small smile dropped as he saw her face fall, a few tears leaking out of the side of her closed eyes. Harry sat in silence, not knowing how to comfort her because he felt the same way. He wiped the tears away from her face and kept his palm cupped against her cheek.

Harry noticed fresh blood tricking down the side of her head and remembered why he had woken her up.

"Hermione…you have a bad gash on your head, and I need to close it up, but I don't know how…" he told her, trying to mask the slight desperation in his voice. He stayed quiet as he watched her face, hoping that she would have an answer for him. After a minute of waiting, he wondered if she had fallen asleep on him again.

Finally, she opened her bloodshot eyes and looked right at him. "Sutura," she croaked, then turned her head to the side as she started coughing hard, struggling to catch a breath. Harry quickly put his arm beneath her shoulders and helped lift her off the pillow, helplessly holding her as she succumbed to an endless bout of wet coughs. Finally, Hermione managed to get them under control and Harry laid her back down on the pillow.

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously to her pinched face. Hermione opened her mouth to answer but only managed to croak. Harry ran into the kitchen and filled one of their mugs with cool water. When he brought it back he once again lifted her by the shoulders and held the cup to her lips so she could take a sip. Once she signalled she had enough water Harry helped her down onto the pillow again.

He reached to his back pocket for their wands, placing Hermione's wand beside her on the bed. He placed the tip of his wand near her oozing cut. "Are you ready, Hermione?" She simply nodded and closed her eyes. "Sutura!" Harry incanted, relieved when he saw her wound sew itself up and turn into a faint line. Hermione simply winced as the wound was closing, then breathed a sigh of relief when it was over. "Better?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded her head, and gave him a small smile. Harry smiled back at her, relieved he was able to fix her wound, and brushed the hair off her forehead in a brotherly manner. The skin under his hand was unnaturally warm, and it brought his mind instantly back to the other looming issue.

"Hermione…were you already sick? I need to know, I need to help you." Harry asked her quietly and pleadingly, not wanting to ignite her stubborn streak. Hermione regarded him with her blood-shot eyes, then simply nodded. "I didn't want to worry you guys, we already had enough trouble on our hands…we don't have any potions Harry, I used them on Ron last month, and I haven't found the ingredients to brew more…" she croaked to him, wincing at her sore throat as she talked. Harry's stomache dropped when he heard her mention the potions. He stood up and grabbed her beaded bag, sitting on the floor beside the bed and tipping it over. "Harry…" he heard her say as items started to fall out into a large pile. He frantically started to rifle through the items strewn on the floor, only finding empty bottles that once held potions. "Harry, stop…"

He finally did, resting his bottle-filled hands on his knees in a defeated manner. He closed his eyes and frantically tried to come up with an alternate solution. He needed to get her some help, but how? They could move out of the forest and make camp near a town so he could steal some potions. Maybe he could disguise them somehow and get Hermione to a wizard or muggle hospital. Or he could leave her for a couple hours and bring her back the proper potions. Or…

"Harry…" he finally looked up at his friend, who had her pale face turned toward him. "Harry, we can't go anywhere, we'll be found, and that will be it…" Hermione croaked at him.

"Hermione, no, we have to get you help, it's worth the risk. I have some ideas, we'll just-"

Hermione interrupted Harry's frantic thoughts with a hand to his shoulder. "No, Harry…we'll just wait this out, I'm sure I'll be fine. I can't risk you doing that for me; it could compromise everything we've worked for." Harry regarded his sick friend for a while, mulling over what she had said. She was right, he knew that, but he wasn't willing to risk her for the greater good. He would agree with her for now and then sneak out when she was sleeping. He would fix this.

Suddenly Hermione started to attempt pushing herself up to sitting, breathing heavy with the exertion and wincing at the aches in her body. Harry grabbed her by the shoulders and helped pull her up, quickly sitting behind her so she could rest against him. Hermione erupted again into a vicious round of coughs, and Harry could feel her body shaking against him. She lay her head back on his shoulder and took a number of shallow breaths once she had stopped coughing. "I want to take a bath, Harry, I'm so cold…" she quietly pleaded with him.

Harry mulled this over for a few moments before shaking his head. "No, I don't think you should get out from the covers yet, we need to keep you warm and its drafty out here." He heard her sigh from in front of him, and he felt bad for denying her this one thing. Suddenly, he had an idea. "I'll be right back," he murmured, helping her lay back down on the bed. He rushed around to make a cup of tea, and brought it back for her to sip on. After making sure the numerous blankets were tucked around Ron's bed properly, Harry started stripping down to his boxers. "What do you think you're doing?" Hermione asked him incredulously from the bed, her hands wrapped tight around the steaming teacup. Harry gave her a cheeky grin, and pulled up the edge of the blankets.

"Well, I've given you all of the blankets, you're not going to make me sleep in the cold, are you?"

Hermione seemed to ponder this for a moment, looking a little nervous at the prospect of Harry sleeping with her.

"Come on, Hermione…don't make me beg, I'm freezing my toes off out here." Harry did his best puppy-dog expression at her, smiling and crawling into the bed beside her when she finally sighed and relented. He knew this was the best way to keep her warm, so was relieved she allowed it. He wished Ron was here, knowing it was he that Hermione would rather have to keep her warm. He felt panic crawl back into his stomache as he remembered that they still didn't know where Ron went.

Hermione finally finished her tea, sipping it slowly beside him, and he took the cup from her trembling hands. He blew out the oil lamp and covered them both with the blankets, encouraging Hermione to move closer into him with his hands. Finally they were both comfortable, with Hermione facing him and resting her head on his shoulder, legs intertwined with his. Her body felt warm enough to him, but she still trembled with shivers against him. Harry rubbed his arms down her back and arms, trying to help warm her up. Finally, she drifted off to sleep, leaving Harry to worry in the quiet about the well-being of his two best friends. As Harry continued to trace his hands up her back he paid attention to the way her bones were close to her skin, not leaving a lot of softness to her body. He suddenly realized that Hermione had been very private lately, and wondered if it was because she was losing so much weight and didn't want them to know. Harry held her closer still, finally allowed himself to drift to sleep, not knowing what the morning would bring.

**A/N: I hope this is enjoyable so far! When I read Deathly Hallows, a story came into my head about how the three not only would have to worry about magical dangers, but natural dangers as well that aren't always solvable by magic. I mean, they are all by themselves, half-starved, on the run, and living in a tent. I felt as though they would have had others things to worry about on top of the magical world, which is where this story came from. ****Please feel free to leave me comments and constructive criticism, but if you are just commenting to complain about my choice of relationships, story focus, perception of the Harry Potter world, etc. then I don't need to hear it because this is my version of events based on Deathly Hallows, take it or leave it! Thanks everyone, enjoy!**


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